Written by

Michigan State 64

Indiana 59

For more photos of Michigan State's win over Indiana, go to www.lsj.com.

i key stretch

A 56-43 MSU lead midway through the second half evaporated to two, 59-57, and the Spartans badly needed a basket. Durrell Summers missed a 3-pointer from the corner, but Raymar Morgan grabbed it with one hand as it bounced off the rim and slammed it home with 27.5 seconds left. It was MSU's only basket in the final 9 minutes, 10 seconds.

i UNSUNG HERO

MSU freshman point guard Korie Lucious played 11 solid minutes, including some key ones down the stretch. Lucious mixed in some big plays, hitting a 3-pointer and getting a pair of assists. The 5-foot-11 Lucious came up with one of the biggest defensive rebounds of the game, on a missed 3-pointer that would have given IU the lead with 2:59 left.

i quotable

"He was up so high, I thought he might have wings on him."

- Goran Suton

MSU senior center on Raymar Morgan's rim-rattling dunk in the final minute of Tuesday's win

i what's next

The Spartans return home for the last game of the regular season, Sunday against second-place Purdue (noon, CBS). The Boilermakers are 22-7 overall and 11-5 Big Ten entering tonight's home game with Northwestern. MSU will honor four outgoing seniors: Travis Walton, Goran Suton, Marquise Gray and Idong Ibok.

I inside

Related Links

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Michigan State stands alone, as champions of the Big Ten, the best road team in school history - and perhaps the most turmoil-tested group of Tom Izzo's tenure.

It probably would have been inappropriate for the final test on the way to the outright title to be a breeze. The last-place Indiana Hoosiers gave the Spartans all the distress they wanted here Tuesday, but MSU used a clutch Raymar Morgan putback dunk and some late-game defensive stops to survive with a 64-59 victory.

"It's probably the most rewarding (championship) because of what we went through," Izzo said after his fifth Big Ten crown in 14 years at MSU. "It just doesn't feel like it tonight."

The No. 8 Spartans (24-5 overall, 14-3 Big Ten) ran off the Assembly Hall court with little celebration, although some raised their arms and pointed to a group of MSU fans in the crowd with a large bed sheet that read "Big Ten Champs."

Izzo declined the Big Ten's offer to bring the championship trophy to the arena for a presentation, and MSU had no T-shirts or hats celebrating the title. Izzo has no plans to involve a banner raising in the final game of the season, Sunday vs. Purdue.

"I'm in the mood to fry bigger fish than we just fried," Izzo said of high postseason hopes for a team that played one of its best games of the season in Sunday's 74-66 win at Illinois, then struggled for stretches two days later against the determined Hoosiers (6-23, 1-16).

Still, there was some well-earned enjoyment in the MSU locker room. The Spartans finish 8-1 in Big Ten road games, eclipsing the record of seven league road wins set by the 1977-78 and 1998-99 teams.

This is MSU's first outright championship since that 1998-99 team, and the first overall since 2000-01. And it came despite shocking home losses to Northwestern and Penn State and frequent health issues for some of MSU's key players.

"No matter how we won today, no matter the down moments, we scrapped and fought and went 8-1 on the road. Not too many teams can say they went 8-1 on the road."

That included several convincing wins over teams that will play in the NCAA Tournament.

Tuesday's victory may have been the toughest of the eight - against a rebuilding team, under first-year coach and former Izzo assistant Tom Crean, that will finish with the worst record in Indiana history.

"They're 1-14 and they came out and played like they're 14-1, fighting for a championship," Walton said. "You've got to tip (your hat) to them."

Sophomore guard Kalin Lucas led the way with 15 points and five assists, while Morgan had 14 off the bench, following up the 14 he had Sunday at Illinois.

He also had MSU's only basket in the last 9 minutes, 10 seconds, a ferocious putback dunk with 27.5 seconds left to put MSU up 61-57. Durrell Summers missed a corner 3-pointer and Morgan made "as big-time a rebound as I've seen in a while," Izzo said.

IU cut it to 61-59 on a pair of Nick Williams free throws with 16.9 seconds left, but Lucas responded with two clutch foul shots with 15.5 ticks left. Then Morgan rebounded a missed Indiana 3-pointer, was fouled and hit another free throw for the final margin.

Hoosiers fight back

The Spartans never trailed in this game or the Illinois game, but had to respond to second-half runs and ear-splitting noise in both. MSU looked like it was on its way to a rout when Summers (10 points) drove for a layup, plus the foul and free throw, with 9:10 left.

That made it 56-43 Spartans.

"I think we got fat and sassy after that," said MSU senior center Goran Suton, who had five points and six rebounds. "We didn't play good defense, we didn't execute offensively."

The Hoosiers, who played most of the game without leading scorer Devan Dumes because of an early leg injury, roared back in front of a crowd that performed like it was witnessing a championship game.

"That's the loudest I've ever heard them," said IU's Malik Story, who had 11 points off the bench. "I think (the Spartans) were a little rattled. I think we had them on the ropes, but it just didn't happen."

(Page 3 of 3)

A 13-2 run culminated in a Nick Williams 3-pointer to make it 58-56 with 5:16 left. The Hoosiers had four chances to tie or take the lead in the final three minutes, getting offensive rebounds twice in a row off missed free throws.

But they couldn't get the shot they needed. The Spartans got the stops and the championship play from Morgan.